The International Student Ministry (ISM) of Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is offering a scholarship opportunity:

Two (2) $300 scholarships will be made available to LCMS undergraduate students attending UW-Milwaukee, Concordia University Wisconsin OR other Milwaukee area college or university in the fall of 2015. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide an opportunity to learn about and volunteer in Christian outreach efforts to those from other lands (see ISM Scholarship application for more details).

Today, we start the beginning of a new church year. Looking at the date, you’ll quickly notice the church year and the calendar year aren’t in sync with one another. In fact, they aren’t even close. Before we hang up our new 2017 calendars, we still have another 35 [34] days to go. If you stop and think about it, how wonderful it is that these two calendars aren’t in line! This further reveals to us that the church is intended to be set apart from the world. The church year isn’t based off of the orbit of the earth around the sun, but revolves around the Son of God, his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and second coming.

So it is we begin a new year with Matthew’s account of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Have you wondered why? Why do we begin the year with what’s known as a prominent Passion Week event, an event that occurs toward the end of Christ’s life? Hearing this we would assume the text in the coming weeks would focus on Christ’s passion, not necessarily His conception and birth. Yet today, the first Sunday of the church year, we have Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. So, why?

Advent isn’t a season of Christian make-believe during which we pretend that we’re back in the centuries before Christ, hopefully awaiting and pleading for the Messiah to come as Deliverer and Savior as Israel once waited. Instead during Advent, we remember that Jesus has come and conquered. We look to the end of all time, and pray for the completed accomplishment of his redemptive act. Thus, we begin this season of Advent with eager expectation for behold, your King comes to you, humble and mounted on a donkey.

To the Church at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. Amen.

In American politics these past weeks the major parties made incredible promises if elected. The major parties also foretold titanic threats if others were elected. Dear Christians, none of the threats identified by either party correctly reveal the greatest threat facing you. It is something the politics of our land simply does not understand.

Jesus does understand. Greater than any external enemy He names the supreme threat to you His church as false teachers. In this real sense, the Church is more dangerous to you than the world is. False teachers saturate this discourse of Jesus. Amid wars and rumors of wars with famines and earthquakes in various places – Jesus does not counsel you to stockpile and strategize a plan to run for the hills. Jesus does say, “see that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying ‘I am the Christ…’” False Messiahs, secular and spiritual will abound. In this messianic soup Jesus warns that many will fall away, betraying and hating one another. He adds, Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. The lawlessness He speaks of has to do with God’s law and doctrinal corruption – not primarily lawlessness on the streets. Such doctrinal lawlessness rewrites the Ten Commandments to speak and live as one wants and it therefore also despises God’s loving forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Dr. Luther said of what Jesus reveals here – “Those who have the teaching office will become the devil’s tools (LW, Vol 68, p. 275).

Greater than any external enemy Jesus names the supreme threat to you His church as false teachers. It was holy week (Matt. 26:2). Jesus had earlier wept over the holy city seeking to gather her like a hen gathers her chicks (Matt. 23:37). In these last days of temple teaching His disciples had pointed to the impressive temple buildings. Jesus had prophesied that not one stone would be left on another (24:1). Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives in private with His disciples, they asked Him – “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” That’s when Jesus poured forth the great threat of false teachers and warned of the love of many growing cold. He added - But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. That was Jesus’ preface to today’s Gospel. His answer here to “when these things will be” commences with the abomination of desolation spoken of the by the prophet Daniel and concludes with Jesus’ words - Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures (also translated as the eagles) will gather.

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center…Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.

You wicked servant…should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt. His debt was unpayable. The tortuous imprisonment Jesus speaks of here is eternal punishment – hell. Hell is a seriously avoided thought in our culture of death. Halloween decorations which purport to show corpses on the move or to humorously or gruesomely picture the realm of death largely mock what Jesus teaches here and elsewhere. People also much more readily speak of “hell on earth” than truly contemplating facing hell after death. In man’s expression, of course, the suffering will end. In the suffering of hell after this life it will not end.

Mormons try to oppose the horror of what Jesus taught by inventing a second chance after death. Jehovah’s Witnesses and some in pop-Christianity seek to replace hell with annihilation – simply going out of existence. Whether by fire that does not go out, or weeping in outer darkness or unending imprisonment, Jesus does not teach non-existence. He clearly teaches the reality of hell. In fact His mission can never be understood without the punishment of death and hell.

That brings us to Peter’s haunting question of accountability. “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? How often will my spouse – my child – my parent - my pastor – my fellow member – my friend - sin against me and I forgive him? You see injury to others is inevitable in this life. Dr. Luther used some humor in making this point about causing harm or doing damage in external relations. He did so by noting how we even damage ourselves - inadvertently biting our own tongues or accidentally scratching our eyes (WLS – 1583). Adam’s sin so deeply poisons us that we do hurt others and others do hurt us. Sometimes this happens proudly and purposely as hearts seek to control others and put them in their place. Sometimes it happens unknowingly.

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before His throne (that is the Holy Spirit) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead (Rev. 1:1-2). AMEN. Dear Saints of God:

Remember how C. S. Lewis pictures the devil (Screwtape) teaching his nephew (Wormwood). Their dialog pictures one of Satan’s chief temptations as limiting Christians’ view of the Church to the present time. Think of Christ’s Church in our time – statistically challenged – rocked by doctrinal unfaithfulness within - mocked by media and political elites without – increasingly told that the influence of Christ’s teaching on your life and conscience must not be seen in the public square. This true but limited view of the Church Screwtape encourages Wormwood to promote. He then warns – “I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans.

Holy ones in Christ – Satan does tempt you this way - for the Church Triumphant is not visible to your eyes and senses! To the degree that he succeeds – to the degree that the Church Triumphant falls from the hope of your heart and becomes unreal to you – to that degree you lose touch with reality. That is why the communion liturgy leads us to speak of all the company of heaven. That is why Jesus leads us to recall the unseen, eternal realm each day – teaching us to address our Father in heaven – and to pray first each day - Holy be Your Name – Your Kingdom Come – Your will be done (all) - on earth as it is in heaven.

Dear Saints of Christ – this is the day when we name our dead and today we will remember God’s gifts to Ann Lippitt – a former member for whom a memorial service was held here. This is the first year I have served you that no current member of Luther Memorial has been called home since the previous All Saint’s Day. That is a little blip – like a candle next to the sun – reflecting eternal reality – when the dwelling place of God is with man. For then - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Rev. 21:4)

To the saints who are at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

No commoner who invites you – but the king! No lecture or common event to which He invites you - but a feast! No common feast or general get together to which He invites you - but a marriage feast – for His Son! It is the King who makes all the preparations – those invited must do nothing! It is the King who furnishes all the food even and the wedding garments – those invited must bring nothing! Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.

It is difficult to overstate the weight and the impact of the wedding image Jesus employs. In Jewish tradition God’s gift of marriage was seen as the fulfillment of the divine plan to be fruitful and multiply. It was considered so important - the Rabbis ruled that even the study of the Torah may be suspended in order to rejoice with and bring joy to a bride and groom (Ketuvot 17b). Rabbis extolled the covenant at Sinai as the marriage of Yahweh with Israel. The complete fulfillment of this divine marriage was expected in the days of the Messiah.

Then Jesus came and proclaimed Himself as the Bridegroom (Mark 2:19). So did His best man – John the Baptist (John 3:29) saying, The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase but I must decrease. When Jesus spoke this parable it was Holy Week. John had decreased to the point of imprisonment and martyrdom and Jesus’ increase is very near the hour of His glory. It was glory He began to manifest in the first of His signs – also at a wedding feast - in Cana (John 2:11). The abundance of His gift of wine surely points to the length and the joy of the wedding feast! From His first sign - to the hour of His glory - to His enduring and eternal gift of God’s feast of salvation – this much is clear! In Jesus the Father says everything is ready! Come to the wedding feast. Come, everyone who thirsts…without money and without price…delight yourselves in rich food.